Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has said that Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a shining example for young people to emulate to take the society forward.

She said this in a message on the eve of the 77th birthday of Pakistan's firs directly elected Prime Minister falling on January 5.

Following is the text of her message.

"Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto strode the national scene like a colossus. For the past four decades he towered over the nation's politics. It is a measure of his greatness that today the politics of the country revolves round his name. The two political forces in the country are those who follow Bhutto and those who oppose him. Such was his all-pervasive greatness that when ordinary mortals followed his call and his cause they became extraordinary.

"Quaid e Awam Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Shaheed gave voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless of the country. He helped them shape their own destiny and the destiny of their country. As he trekked along the path, he illuminated it for generations to come.

"It is not easy to encompass his achievements. Whether it is the unanimous Constitution, which has protected the federation from implosion or the nuclear programme, which has protected Pakistan from external aggression the stamp of Bhutto, is writ large over it. And in between the Karakoram Highway, Port Qasim, Kamrah Aeronautical Complex and Heavy Mechanical Complex stand out as silent monuments to his memory.

"A crowning achievement of Shaheed Bhutto has been the holding of Organisation of Islamic Countries Summit in 1974 at Lahore. It was there that the legendary Yassir Arafat was recognized as the authentic voice of the Palestinian people giving new impetus to the Palestinian struggle. This move culminated in the Oslo Peace talks and the establishment of a Palestinian Authority as the first step towards a comprehensive settlement.

"Quaid e Awam gave Pakistan nuclear parity with India thus enabling residual Pakistan to defend its territorial integrity and independence. He gave pride to every Pakistani, irrespective of race, religion or gender.

"He gave Pakistan a unanimous Constitution and established Azad Kashmir as an autonomous area with its own President, Prime Minister and Judiciary. He gave Balauchistan Provincial status and established a provincial assembly and high court for it. Its people no longer had to trek to Karachi to knock on the doors of justice.

"He gave every Pakistani the right to a passport as a fundamental right. He introduced habeas corpus for the first time in the history of Pakistan. He began the emancipation of the people in the tribal areas as well as the Northern areas. He built the Karakorum Highway, which stands as an ever-lasting memorial to his name. He established four cancer curing centers, the first of their kind in Pakistan.

"He spread knowledge by building colleges and universities, especially of professional studies. He opened the way for the middle classes to develop and prosper in the fields of medicine, engineering, law and other specialist studies.

"He introduced land reforms breaking the back of feudalism and ended the jagirdari system. His labour reforms for the first time gave protection to labour through health, educational and pension schemes. He was a social reformer who changed the contours of the politics of Pakistan. He was a "revolutionary and a poet" to his last breath--and that is how he wished to be remembered. He is now a part of the legend of the land.